There’s new blood on the Summer Bay in Season 15 of Deadliest Catch, and Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski is ready to test their mettle on the Bering Sea.
Prior to Season 15 of the Discovery Channel docuseries (premiering Tuesday, April 9 at 9 p.m. ET), PopCulture.com’s Anna Rumer visited Dutch Harbor, Alaska, trying her hand at greenhorning on the Summer Bay and getting to know the other greenhorns preparing for the season.
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While the Summer Bay’s base crew is remaining the same, with Nick McGlashan heading up operations as deck boss, Tim Boles holding down the younger guys with his decades of experience and “new rockstar” Landon Cheney acting as an up-and-comer on the boat.
There’s still plenty waiting to prove themselves at sea, however, including Griffin, the 18-year-old son of two physicians out of Homer, Alaska, whom Wichrowski called “a pretty squared away kid” with a good attitude and “the hygiene thing” down.
“Mom and dad both being physicians and knowing the injuries that can happen, I don’t think they’re overly excited about him being in here, but I think he wants to prove his independence,” Wild Bill said thoughtfully. “I don’t know for what duration he wants to commercial fish, but time will tell.”
On the other end, Wild Bill was wondering what the season would hold for “wild child” Erik, who came on board with his little dog Rico in tow.
“I don’t want to say he was a little entitled, but he ran his entitlement the distance and basically, what I’m gonna try to do is teach him how to just buckle down and do the job,” the captain told PopCulture. “If it works, success for me. It’s gonna change his life, and if it doesn’t, then we’ll all just part ways and move on.”
He continued, “He’s not really a kid, the guy from Florida. So he’s bouncing around a little bit, not sure of what to do and we’ve been kind of letting him wallow in it, but the point is he’s gonna have to open his eyes a little. He will get his eyes open.”
Crewing on part of the Deadliest Catch fleet brings with it extra opportunities and responsibilities, Wild Bill said: “These guys realize the value of being part of the show. It gains you some notoriety that opens doors.”
Whether the newcomers use that platform like McGlashan and Cheney to talk about their struggle with addiction and recovery over the years, Wild Bill said everyone involved knows what comes with crewing in front of the camera. That’s not to say anything on the boat is scripted, he clarified.
“We don’t fabricate anything. I don’t,” he said. “But we sit down and we look at how things can come together. I have two new guys this year, so we’ll discuss how that’s gonna be? Is there one new guy trying to get above the other? It’s not made up, but it’s a story that’s gonna happen.”
Deadliest Catch Season 15 premieres Tuesday, April 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Discovery.
Photo credit: Discovery
